This past summer, I had the opportunity to complete my co-op term at D2L as a Technology Enablement Coordinator. The entirety of my co-op term was completed virtually in a work-from-home environment. I experienced the challenges that came with virtual onboarding and working remotely as a new hire, and I was extremely impressed with D2L’s ability to support co-op students new to the organization.
One of my major projects as a Technology Enablement Coordinator was transforming the Technology, Engineering, and Design (TED) Onboarding course. My involvement with the improvement of the TED Onboarding experience gave me first-hand insight into the extent to which D2L values supporting new hires, especially in a work-from-home scenario. In this blog, I will share how D2L has streamlined their support for Co-ops and New Graduates and recognizes the need for faster onboarding, consistent training, and available resources for new hires to reference.
As a co-op or New Graduate, there can be uncertainty and anxiety associated with starting a new role at a new company. During a global pandemic, this sense of uncertainty and anxiety is often heightened when there is no physical office space to complete training or work. D2L has made it a priority to ensure employees are properly on-boarded with enough support to make them comfortable and productive in their new role.
A TED New Hire will follow several onboarding stages that utilize our own Brightspace software to prepare them for productive work:
Corporate Onboarding
Through PnC, each New Hire will be equipped with a checklist of important tasks to be completed within their First Day, First Week, First Two Weeks, and First Month in their new role. In addition, new hires complete the Corporate Onboarding training where they are exposed to an overview of the company, different organizations, employee benefits, professional development opportunities, etc. By the end of Corporate Onboarding, an employee is well equipped to learn more about their organization specifically.
TED Onboarding Course
Upon the completion of Corporate Onboarding, TED New Hires will complete the TED Onboarding Course to understand more about the following topics: Fundamentals, Getting Started for Developers, TED Functions and Teams, and Systems and Tools. This course is meant to cover all foundational TED department topics, standards, processes, practices, and tools to ensure new team members feel welcome and equipped with the information they need to perform their roles and responsibilities. The course was created with virtual onboarding in mind, so that new hires can feel confident transitioning to productive work, quickly. The content within this course is relevant for all roles in TED and prepares new hires for Team Onboarding.
Team Onboarding
The final stage of Onboarding is Team Onboarding. In this stage, team managers will take over and provide new hires with the information necessary to do their role and become comfortable with their team. For example, New Hires often have lunch with their team during the first two weeks, will begin participating in team meetings, be assigned a mentor, and shadow team members.
Software Developer Workshops
D2L runs quarterly workshop series for Co-ops and New Grads, taught by subject matter experts. These workshops compliment the TED Onboarding Course, and provide a deeper dive into topics that are beneficial for new Software Developers to understand in their new role (e.g., Introduction to the LMS, Development Resources, Rally and Git, etc.), and hands-on training experience. They also provide a networking opportunity for new hires to meet each other, especially within a virtual work environment, and a safe place to ask any “newbie” questions. With these Workshop sessions, Software Developer Co-ops and New Grads will feel more confident entering their teams knowing that they have the same baseline level of knowledge and understanding of best practices.
New Grad Hiring 2021
The motivation to increase effort towards New Grad/Co-op Onboarding and Support has escalated with the push to hire New Graduates and Co-ops within the next few months. Within TED, Software Developers are being actively hired for 2021 start dates. These roles are available on our Careers page. As a New Graduate or Co-op starting a role at D2L, you can feel confident knowing that D2L is prepared to onboard and support you throughout your journey.
This term I have been representing D2L as a Campus Ambassador for Wilfrid Laurier University. If you are interested in learning more about how D2L supports New Graduates and Co-ops, or #lifeatD2L, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn.
Laura Weber, Campus Ambassador
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